WO1994005978A1

WO1994005978A1 - Improved measuring/dispensing device for liquid products

Info

Publication number: WO1994005978A1
Application number: PCT/EP1993/002425
Authority: WO
Inventors: Evans Santagiuliana
Original assignee: Taplast SRL
Current assignee: Taplast SRL
Priority date: 1992-09-10
Filing date: 1993-09-08
Publication date: 1994-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 1995-03-10
Also published as: IT1258614B; BR9305629A; ITVI920130A1; DE69315547T2; ITVI920130A0; ATE160866T1; JPH0833315B2; DE69315547D1; US5407105A; EP0611442A1; JPH06510866A; EP0611442B1; CA2119648A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a measuring-dispensing device for liquid substances comprising: a first element (10), for holding the measured product to be dispensed; a second element (20), provided with slits (33) for the transit of the substance, slidingly coupled in said first element (10); a third element (30) comprising a first tubular part (31) attached to the container (50) and a second tubular part (32) coupled with the first element (10) which defines in its interior a dispensing duct (36) and on its exterior a measuring chamber (35). Said second element (20) and said third element (30) are manufactured in a single piece through a moulding process and said second element (20) is provided with leading means (41) and with elastic deformation means (43) suited to house the coupling of the first element (10), as well as with supporting means (42) suited to prevent the separation of the first element (10) when the coupling has occurred.

Description

IMPROVED MEASURING/DISPENSING DEVICE FOR LIQUID PRODUCTS The invention concerns an improved measuring/dispensing device for liquid products. It is a known fact that detergents are sold in containers, often provided with a measuring cap, which guarantees the dispensing of a pre-determined and constant quantity of detergent. Some measuring/dispensing devices of the known type, fore- see the use of a ball placed in the interior of dispensing channels and immersed in the liquid detergent, which, whenever the container is capsized, moves toward the dispensing hole thus occluding it after a while. Said measuring devices present the inconvenience of having a rather limited precision, the dispensed quantity being influenced by various parameters, such as the different speed at which the ball falls down depending on the vis- cosity of the liquid detergent into which said ball is immersed, the speed variations of the ball depending on the degree of inclination of the container and finally, the speed differences of the detergent itself in relation to the liquid head. Other types of as well-known measuring devices present a measuring chamber, into which the detergent to be dispensed enters when the container is capsized, and a collecting chamber, into which the measured detergent enters when the container is brought back to its upright position. The dispensing of the product occurs when the container is capsized again, at which point the pre-measured detergent flows out of the collecting chamber, while a new quantity of detergent flows from the container into the measuring chamber . Such measuring devices pres ent the inconvenience of being rather imprecise when the change of the container from its vertical pos ition into the dispens ing s lanted pos ition occurs slowly . In order to overcome the mentioned inconveniences, the measuring-dispensing device for liquid products object of the deposit n. 85695 in the name of the same inventor has been disclosed, said device presenting an external body, connected to the container, and a dispensing duct, inter- nally co-axial with the external body, a ring-shaped area being defined between them in which a measuring element is arranged, which slides axially and is freely coupled with the external body. When the container is capsized, the measuring element slides within the external body, thus allowing a measuring chamber to be filled up; its contents subsequently flow into the measuring element, when the container is brought back to its upright position. When the container is capsized again, the dispensing of the pre-measured detergent occurs, while, at the same time, the measuring chamber is filled up again. The described measuring-dispensing device realises a mea- suring precision which is independent from the liquid density, but presents the inconvenience of being of rather complex manufacture because it consists of three separate pieces. Moreover, said pieces, which must be connected together and to the container, require also a considerable assembly work which is normally performed with automatic assembling machines. It is the purpose of the present invention to obtain a measuring-dispensing device consisting of separate parts, the number of which is smaller than that of the above mentioned measuring-dispensing device. It is yet another purpose for said measuring-dispensing device to present all the advantages of the mentioned measuring-dispensing devices. It is another purpose that the manufacture and the assembly of the measuring-dispensing device according to the inven- tion can be more economical in relation to the measuring- dispensing devices of the known type. The described purposes are reached by a measuring-dispen- sing device for liquid substances, which, in accordance with the main claim comprises: - a first element for holding the measured product to be dispensed, presenting a holding chamber closed by a bottom layer, connected to a collecting chamber through a trunca- ted-conic intersecting surface; - a second element consisting of a tubular body sliding coupled with the external surface of the collecting chamber of said first element, said second element presenting an open bottom provided with means for holding said first element after they have been coupled, and with one or more slits for the transit of the substance, made in the tubular body itself; - a third element comprising a first tubular part, attached to the container through coupling means and a second tubu- lar part, internally coupled with the collecting chamber of the mentioned first element, said tubular parts being connected to one another through an annular area, wherein said second tubular part defines in its interior a dispen- sing duct and on its exterior it defines a measuring- cham- ber delimited by the inner wall of the collecting chamber of the first element, and is characterized in that said second element and said third element are obtained in a single piece through a moulding process, the upper rim of said second element belonging to the annular area of said third element, said second element being also provided with leading means and with elastic deformation means suited to help the yielding of the tubular body forming it, in order to house the coupling of the collecting chamber of the first element, as well as wit.h supporting means suited to prevent the separation of the first element when the coupling has occurred. Advantageously, the measuring-dispensing device according to the invention is less costly to manufacture as compared with the measuring devices of the same type. Moreover, advantageously it is of simpler assembly, being formed by a smaller number of pieces which make it possible to simplify the assembling cycle in the automatic assera- bling machines . Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific example, while indicating a preferred embodiment of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifica- tions within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description and from the drawings, wherein: - Fig. 1 represents in a cross-section the measuring-dis- pensing device according to the invention, coupled with a container; - Fig. 2 represents the measuring-dispensing device in an exploded view of its components; - Fig. 3 represents the measuring-dispensing device of Fig. 2 during the joining phase of the first element to the second and third element; - Fig. 4 represents the measuring-dispensing device of Fig. 1 while the measuring chamber is being filled up; - Fig. 5 represents the measuring-dispensing device of Fig. 1 while the holding chamber is being filled up; - Fig. 6 represents the measuring-dispensing device of Fig. 1 while the liquid product is being dispensed. - Fig. 7 represents in a cross-section a different embodi- ment of the measuring-dispensing of the invention; - Fig. 8 represents one of the elements which compose the device of fig. 7; - Fig. 9 represents a further element which composes the device in Fig. 7; - Fig. 10 represents a plan view of th element represented in Fig. 9. As can be observed in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2, the measuring- dispensing device according to the invention, indicated as a whole with 1, comprises a first element, indicated as a whole with 10, presenting a holding chamber 11 provided with a bottom layer 12, connected to a collecting chamber 14 ending with a bevelled rim 17 through a truncated-conic intersecting surface 13. The measuring-dispensing device comprises a second element too, indicated as a whole with 20, presenting a tubular body 18 provided with an open bottom 19 at one end and with slits 23 on the side for the transit of the product. Finally, the measuring-dispensing device is completed with a third element, indicated as a whole with 30, and present- ing a first tubular part 31 attached to the container 50 through a thread 37 and a second tubular part 32, internal in relation to the first one, within which a dispensing duct 36 is defined, said tubular parts being connected to one another through an annular area 53. The device is completed with a lid 70 connected to the first tubular part 31 of the third element 30 through a tab 71. It can be observed in particular in Fig. 1 that the second element 20 presents the upper rim 24 realising a single body with the annular area 53 of the third element 30, the second element 20 and the third element 30 being obtained in a single piece during the moulding process and form therefore, at the end of said moulding process, a single body. This fact allows to simplify the manufacture of the measur- ing-dispensing device and to make faster and easier the assembling for the automatic machines, the pieces to be assembled being reduced in number. In order to assembly the measuring-dispensing device, it is necessary to couple the collecting chamber 14 of the first element 10 within the tubular body 18 which forms the second element 20. For this purpose, as can be observed in Fig. 2 and also in Fig. 3, the second element 20 presents in correspondence with the open bottom 19, a rim 40 consisting of a trunca- ted-conic lip 41, converging toward the interior of the element which intersects with another truncated-conic lip 42 diverging from and ending against the inner surface of the tubular body 18 which is provided with notches 43. When the upper rim 17 of the first element 10 is axially pushed following direction 51 against the converging trun- cated-conic lip 41 of the second element 20, it radially stresses the tubular body 18 of said second element, which, because of the presence of the notches 43, expands radially following direction 52, thus allowing the collecting cham- ber 14 to penetrate into the tubular body 18, as can be observed in Fig. 3. When the coupling has been completed, as can be observed in Fig. 1, the divergent truncated-conic lip 42 of rim 40 belonging to the second element 20, contrasts against the truncated-conic intersecting surface 13 of the first ele- ent 10 and acts as a holding element which prevents the mutual separation between the first element 10 and the second element 20. The first element 10, driven by the tubular body 18 of the second element 20 within which is coupled, can, therefore, slide axially. In order to make the measuring-dispensing device function, it is necessary first of all, to capsize the container, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that rim 33 of the second tubular part 32 belonging to the third element 30, penetrates into the annular impression 34 of the first element 10, thereby sealing the annular opening 44 for the transit of the liquid from the annular measuring chamber 35 to the hold- ing chamber 11, said annular measuring chamber being com- prises between the second tubular part 32 of the third element 30 and the collecting chamber 14 of the first element 10, so as to isolate the two corresponding spaces. As the second tubular part 32 belonging to the third ele- ment 30 of the device defines also, as has already been said, a dispensing duct, indicated with 36, which is in communication with the holding chamber 11, when the measur- ing-dispensing device is capsized, the liquid 52 contained in container 50, enters into the annular measuring chamber 35 following direction 61, through the slits 23. When the container is brought back to its upright position, as can be observed in Fig. 5, the first element 10 moves away from the rim 33 of the second tubular part 32 because of the gravity, thus opening the annular opening 44 through which the measured dose is conveyed from the annular mea- suring chamber 35 into the holding chamber 11 following direction 62, while the quantity of liquid exceeding the volume of the holding chamber 11, flows out through the holes 16 made on the truncated-conic intersecting surface 13 following direction 63, and returns into the container 50 itself. Another capsizing of the container, as can be observed in Fig. 6, permits to the dose contained in the holding cha - ber 11 to flow out through the dispensing duct 36 following direction 64, while, at the same time, another dose of substance is being filled up into the annular measuring chamber 35 passing through the slits 23, again with direc- tion 61. The device according to the invention is completed with a lid 70 which is moulded together with the third element 30 of the device and which presents an annular external rim 72 engaging with the corresponding projection 39 belonging to the more external part of the third element 30, while the annular external rim 73 of the lid 70 engages on the rim 38 belonging to the second tubular part 32 of the third ele- ment 30 itself. A different embodiment of the measuring-dispensing device of the invention based on the same resolutive idea is represented in Fig.7 where you can see that the measuring- dispensing device, showed on the whole with 100 comprises a first element, showed on the whole with 110, also represen- ted in Figg. 9 and 10 and a second element, showed on the whole with 120, also represented in Fig. 8. In particular, in Fig. 7 and in Fig. 8 you can see that said second element 120 presents, near the open bottom 119, a rim 140 having a truncated conic profile 141 with the conicity facing said open bottom 119 and provided, in the internal zone, with a shoulder 142 which makes the first element 110 hold when it is internally coupled to the second element 120 and when it is disposed vertically as represented in Fig. 7. Also in this embodiment, the coupling of said elements between them happens by a radial elastic deformation of the rim 140 appertaining to the second element 120 when the first element 110 is pushed inside the open bottom 119 of the second element 120 following the direction 151. About the first element 110 you can see, particularly referring to figg. 9 and 10, that it laterally presents an opening 116 which functions both as a discharger, in the container 150 to which the measuring dispensing device is coupled of the quantity of liquid exceeding the volume of the holding chamber 111 and as a device which escapes air, if contained inside. You can also see that on the opposite part from the opening 116 is disposed a conveyor 190, constituted by a surface having a substantially semicircular form, disposed on the continuity of the tubular surface which defines the holding chamber 111. When said first element 110 is coupled to said second element, said conveyor 190 projects inside the second element 120 and functions as on orientator of the liquid flux in the dispensing duct 136 during the pouring. Finally, you can see that said first element 110 presents also a couple of orienting ribs 180 disposed symmetrically and on opposite sides from the opening 116, suitable for coupling in corresponding seats made in the tubular body 118 of the second element 120. The scope of said ribs is that, when the first element is coupled to the second element 120, the conveyor 190 is disposed as represented in fig. 7. In this way the conveyor 190 is oriented on the frontal part of the easuring-dis- pensing device so that the pouring of the product is fa- voured when the container is rotated in the direction 200. On the basis of what has been described, it is easy to understand how the measuring-dispensing device according to the invention reaches the proposed purposes. In fact the purpose of obtaining a measuring-dispensing device presenting a smaller number of components in rela- tion to the measuring-dispensing devices of the known type having similar characteristics is reached. Moreover the purpose of simplifying the manufacturing processes as well as that of allowing a simpler and, there- fore, less costly assembly, thus reducing the assembly cycle on the assembling machine is also reached. During the manufacturing process the measuring-dispensing device according to the invention, may undergo some modifi- cations concerning both the shape of the components and their dimensions. Moreover, the shape, the number and the dimensions of the leading means and of the deformation means which allow the coupling of the elements forming the measuring-dispensing device according to the invention may also. It is however understood that the mentioned modifications or any others must be considered to fall under the spirit and the scope protected by the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1) A measuring-dispensing device for liquid substances comprises: - a first element (10) for holding the measured product to be dispensed, presenting a holding chamber (11) closed by a bottom layer (12), connected to a collecting chamber (14) through a truncated-conic intersecting surface (13); - a second element (20) consisting of a tubular body (18) slidingly coupled with the external surface of the collect- ing chamber (14) of said first element (10), said second element (20) presenting an open bottom (19) provided with means (42) holding said first element (10) after the coup- ling, and with one or more slits (23) for the transit of the substance made on the side of the tubular body (18) itself; - a third element (30) comprising a first tubular part (31), attached to the container (50) through coupling means (37) and a second tubular part (32), internally coupled with the collecting chamber (14) of the mentioned first element (10), said tubular parts being connected to one another through an annular area (53), wherein said second tubular part (32) defines in its interior a dispensing duct (36) and on its exterior it defines a measuring chamber (35) delimited by the inner wall of the collecting chamber (14) of the first element (10), and is characterized in that said second element (20) and said third element (30) are obtained in a single piece through a moulding process, the upper rim (24) of said second element (20) belonging to the annular area (53) of said third element (30), said second element (20) being also provided with leading means (41) and with elastic deformation means (43) suited to help the yielding of the tubular body (18) forming it, in order to house the coup- ling of the collecting chamber (14) of the first element (10), as well as with supporting means (42) suited to prevent the separation of the first element (10) after the coupling has occurred. 2) A device according to claim 1, characterized in that in said first element (10), the truncated-conic sur- face (13) intersecting between the holding chamber (11) and the collecting chamber (14) presents holes (16) suited for the transit of the exceeding quantity of the filled dose. 3) A device according to claim 1, characterized in that in said third element (30) the second tubular part (32) presents a rim (33) matching an annular impression (34) found in the truncated-conic intersecting surface (13) belonging to the first element (10) while the device is selecting the dose, said coupling closing the annular opening (44) setting the measuring chamber (35) and the holding chamber (11) into communication. 4) A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the coupling means (41) present in said second element (20) and suited to help the elastic yielding of its tubular body (18), are a truncated-conic lip (41) converging toward the interior of said second element (20), wherein said truncated-conic lip (41) intersects with another truncated- conic lip (42) diverging from and ending against the inter- nal surface of the tubular body (18) and acting as a holder suited to prevent the separation of the first element (10) when the coupling has been completed by contrasting against the truncated-conic intersecting surface (13) of the lat- ter, said truncated-conic lips (41, 42) belonging to a single rim (40) arranged in correspondence with the open bottom (19) of the tubular body (18). 5) A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic deformation means (43) present in said second element (20) and suited to help the yielding of its tubular body (18), are notches (43) made on the tubular body (18) itself. 6) A device according to claim 5, characterized in that the notches (43) have the shape of open slits having a longitudinal development. 7) A device according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said third element (30) presents a lid (70) provided with an external annular rim (71) and with an internal annular rim (72) both matching the corre- sponding annular rims (39, 38) respectively present in the annular rim (53) of said third element (30). 8) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that said first element (110) laterally presents at least one opening (116) suitable for discharging the qu-antity of the charged measure in excess in the container (150) to which said device is coupled. 9) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said coupling means located in said second element (120) are a truncated-conic profile (141) with the conicity facing the open bottom (119) of said second element (120) and belonging to the rim (140) of said open bottom (119). 10) Device according to claim 9 characterized in that said rim (140) of said second element (120) internally presents a supporting shoulder (142). 11) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said first element (110) externally presents at least one longitudinal rib (180) suitable for coupling in a corre- sponding seat made in said second element (120), said at least one rib (180) and said at least one corresponding seat being suited to define, mutually cooperating, the coupling position of said first element (110) as regards to said second element (120). 12) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said first element (110) is provided with a conveyor (190) haveing a substantially semicircular surface which defines the holding chamber (111) of said first element (110), said conveyor (190) being projected inside said second element (120), when said first element (110) is coupled internally with said second element (120).